Court pulls up prosecutor in Shivani murder case

New Delhi, March 4 (IANS) A city court Tuesday pulled up the special prosecutor for not making ‘legal’ submissions in the journalist Shivani Bhatnagar’s murder case. Additional Sessions Judge Rajendra Kumar Shastri asked the prosecutor to make their final submissions by Wednesday or else admit in writing that they have failed to conclude the arguments on the due date.

“Make your legal submissions, which should be based on point of law. Countering the facts of the case at this stage will not be of any use,” said the judge while asking the prosecutor to make final submissions Wednesday.

Special Public Prosecutor S. K. Saxena started the arguments Tuesday by citing various judgments from the apex court, but was stopped mid-way by the court.

The prosecution alleged that R.K. Sharma, former Haryana cadre Indian Police Service officer, in connivance with five other co-accused had executed the murder of the Indian Express scribe.

Earlier, in his brief arguments, Saxena said that while Pradeep Sharma had executed the murder at the instance of Sharma, the other accused had acted as “intermediaries” in the commission of the offence.

Terming it as a case based on “circumstantial” evidence, Saxena said the prosecution would prove its charges with regard to the motive behind the case on the basis of the telephonic talk among the accused.

Bhatnagar was found murdered in her East Delhi apartment Jan 23, 1999.